Tag: eat skull

Making our year-end list of Top Albums is never something we take lightly. We realize that it’s rather arbitrary in the grand scheme of things, but we realize that our role is to at least toss out our opinion, however meaningless it may be. In the long run, we had to take the tastes of several people, and whittle it into a list of 50 great albums that we think are vital to your listening experience. We know it’s a matter of personal tastes, but the records below are reflective of our tastes and our site, so don’t get mad, they’re just opinions. But, feel free to tell us where we went wrong, or what we might have missed. If you click on the album titles, you can also read our full reviews of each album, save the ones that we didn’t get to in time. Sorry we don’t like Kanye.

Admittedly, this album makes nods to folk troubadours of Christmas’ past, but what grabbed me from the moment I heard this record was the sincerity in what’s being created. In leaving us with a stripped down listen of folk tunes and incredible poetry, we’re asked to look into the history of American songwriting tradition; it’s been awhile since it was executed so well.

I’d put this album on any list for one song alone, “Someday.” But, it just so happens that the rest of the album maintains the sensation that’s established on the opening track. I’ve heard it referenced as a surf-psych opus, but what’s been assured in my mine is what an incredible listen we’re all be treating to when we put Hung at Heart on our record players.

Hether Fortune seems to scare people. Her work is in your face, never making an excuse for who she is or what she believes. That attitude carries on into her music, allowing listeners to experience a musical world void of any pretense. The songs on this album are angular, dark and abrasive; the vocals have Hether dominating the scene of modern lady rock warriors. If you don’t dig it, she doesn’t care, but I do because this record rules.

While many of the songs on this effort leaked out before under various EPs, the whole masterpiece exists in the way it was tied together as a complete work. It’s operatic and grand at every corner, but it’s also undeniably a pop record. The emphasis might revolve around the more artful spectrum of pop music, but this is an album you can play for everyone in your family, and they’ll all find themselves swept up in the wonderment of Privilege.

What else really needs to be said about The National. They consistently make great albums that are lauded then often overlooked, but we didn’t want to do that to one of our favorite acts. I mean, if they played 8 shows in 8 days, we’d be at every one, and the DJ set after party. Their accolades and recognition are warranted, and it’s especially clear on this, their latest release.

When listening to Pass the Ringo, I thought of one thing: this is the sort of record that makes a small label, like Loglady Records, a household name. It’s spun around garage rock and psych rock structures, whilst still maintaining an accessibility that few people working in that genre achieve. Some albums can play in the background of your house, and might be happy to do so, but Legs created something that made me stop and listen at every turn; I’m thankful for that.

Someone For You came our way in January. On my record player, it hasn’t left since. This is one of the most rewarding power-pop records I’ve gotten my hands on, and trust me, I’ve gotten my hands on a lot of great records. Each song is filled with innate hooks and garage rock grit, encouraging you to tap your toes for the entirety of the record. You’d think after a full year our interest would have waned, but with time we’ve only grown to appreciate the record even more.

At the moment, there’s not too many people releasing music that’s the quality of Mathew Cothran and Coma Cinema. There are elements of the bizarre, similar to the work of early Elf Power, yet there’s this intimacy that artists like Eliott Smith were able to create with their listeners. You wrap that up and put it in a package of pop sensibility, and you have an album that can’t be ignored.

In today’s musical climate, we buy into the fact that artists have to be doing something strange, or something that’s vastly different from their peers. But, in the grand scheme of things, we often forget what it’s like to take enjoyment out of the music. This album was one of the many reminders that music, when it’s good, can be quite special. Every song here is a single, and worth your time; it’s the best thing Laz has done, and I feel like he’s just really getting started.

This album is about Devon Welsh. From the first instant I heard his voice, it took hold of me. Throughout the year, Impersonator, consistently played on my radio. His voice was mesmerizing, captivating audiences on several occasions in Austin, convincing us to be as quiet as a mouse, so as to hear every note. The unique quality of the album will reward listeners for years to follow. It made us believe in great music again.

I’m late to the party on this one, having only recognized Eat Skull by name, rather than by their previous efforts. That being said, IIIseems like a good place to start for me, as it’s already made me a champion of the work the band are creating. If, like me, you’re new to the band, then come along as I take you on my first journey with the band, which has already been an exceptional trip.

“Space Academy” immediately had me sold on III. It’s got a fuzzy guitar riff that opens up the album, followed by some chanted vocals that dictate to us exactly “how it’s going to be.” My ears recalled bits of a Brit-pop stomper, albeit an extremely louder/scuzzier version. Even as the song trails off into an instrumental guitar dabbling, I still found myself enthralled. “Dead Horses” soon follows, and it doesn’t do anything to dissuade my adoration. For one, the band references taxidermy, my favorite pastime, on multiple occasions, but it’s also got this rolling pop-centric guitar line that lives in the middle of the track, which oddly works in harmony with the discordant accompaniment. I’m psyched to watch these “dead horses decompose with taxidermy eyes.”

Eat Skull do decide to turn things into a different direction on the third track, “How Do I Know When to Say Goodnight,” which seems like a blend of glitch-pop and their ramshackle folk influences. There’s an other-worldly chanting going on in the background that at times can be a tad grating, but otherwise, the experimentation of the group opens your ears to some incredible pop moments. I think the group’s dallying between genres comes to fruition, however, on the most inconspicuous of songs. There’s a heavy coat of bass fuzz atop light guitar playing, yet the vocals have this certain clarity that isn’t present on all the other songs within III. You’ve got to have patience on this number, and I appreciate that, leaving me with my own personal haunting. Another gem you’ll find lurking in the musical madness is “They Burned You.” This jam has its own ghoul, which comes in the way of a looped vocal circling through the foreground and the background. For me, my appreciation comes from the strumming guitar work and the rising and falling of the vocals. It starts off your final leg of the journey that will take you through the joyous “Amnesty Box” and the more exploratory pop of “Catch Em Before They Vanish.”

It’s easy to admit that Eat Skull might not be for everyone’s enjoyment. There’s certain elements that I can see as being inaccessible, especially if you’re one to quickly push through your musical collection. But, if you’ve got the patience for listening, then find yourself peeling back the layers of III; it’ll take you to places you might not go, musically speaking, for the rest of the year, making this a memorable listen time and time again.

2013 has a lot of great things coming our way, and I wasn’t really expecting to be as blown away by this new Eat Skulltrack, which only adds to my list of lofty expectations for the new year. At first, I sort of felt like I was immersed in a Wes Anderson moment, but then the song sort of began to fill with a bit more noise, so if it’s an Anderson homage, then perhaps this is one of those rare action scenes. I love the distance between the vocals and the listener, creating a haunting, yet enchanting, bit of psychedelia. Their album III comes out via Woodsist on February 19, and here’s your first taste.